Pmr and itchy skin

Posted , 11 users are following.

my skin is so dry and wrinkly, it looks like im an old old prune, thank you, pmr!. lately my arms have been itchy. now everything is itchy. i dont use soap in the shower and i use shampoo only a couple times a week. ive put vegetable oil on my arms a couple times which seems to help (im allergic/sensitive to plant-based products so veggie oil helps a little.)

has anyone else experienced dry itchy skin as part and parcel of the pmr journey? dr. google of course says itchy skin is fatal, that i need to seek medical attention right away.

ive had pmr since august 2016, started pred sept 2016; currently nearing end of 5 1/2 mg taper.

has anyone else experienced dry itchy skin? mine was just on my arms; now it seems to be expanding. thanks!

0 likes, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • Posted

    Oh dear - then I should be dead several times over...

    I had itchy skin as part of PMR - nothing to do with pred - and eventually established it was an allergic reaction to something in wheat, probably the structure of starch in modern day wheat! It isn't gluten and I can eat other forms of wheat (spelt and kamut) with no problem. It would appear to be part of the autoimmune part of PMR. No wheat, no itch. Eating wheat regularly led to real open wounds in skin folds (sorry, TMI, but that's how bad it was!)

    Many people find pred leads to dry skin - and heavy duty moisturising with an emollient used for eczema, something like Doublebase or Dipro base in the UK (available everywhere via Amazon) works for them. Such emollients are to be used while the skin is still damp after a shower to retain the moisture. They contain paraffin oils usually though - is that OK for you? (Sorry, don't quite get your statement "im allergic/sensitive to plant-based products so veggie oil helps a little"). They also make soap-free washing products - I don't spend money on them, I just use water, like you I haven't used soap except for hands for YEARS!

    Have you changed your washing detergent? That can lead to all sorts of nasties - and it might not be YOU that has changed it, they may have brought out a "new improved" - which usually in my experience is rarely improved...

    • Posted

      i believe i have a salicylate sensitivity as well as gluten intolerance. many foods and products are high in salicylates...vegetable oil seems to be tolerable for me.

      havent changed washing detergent, but yikes, just looked at the bottle--"NEW--ODOR RELIEF!" so maybe....i use ALL free and clear, been using it for years. will check further, thanks!

  • Posted

    good morning!

    Are you in the states?

    • Posted

      I am in Oregon. i suffered terribly with dry itchy arms as a result of the prednisone. My granddaughter introduced me to the Snarky Bar. I've never been one to push any product, but this is beyond amazing.

      I would happily send you a chunk to try.

    • Posted

      thank you--i dont think it will work for me--the scents and maybe ingredients. but how kind of you to offer. im honored.

    • Posted

      Hi Kathy,

      My skin is just awful too since the pred. I just checked the Snarky Bar on Amazon..... twenty dollars for a bar of soap? Is that right?

      Thanks.

  • Posted

    Yes I have suffered from itchy arms since starting pred. It seems to start in September and disappear by Christmas. I assume a reaction to the sun. I still have it at the moment but it is definitely on the wain. My hair started falling out after about a year, slowed down as I lowered the dosage but I am now malting again as a result of increasing meds again to cope with a flair.

    To top it off my bones seem more brittle. I am nursing a broken ankle caused by standing up on my first week here on holiday in California. The first broken bone in my 66 years. Thanks a lot Pred- there again could all these symptoms also be a result of age? HEY HO!

    • Posted

      i get a lot of sun here where i am which ive blamed on my itchy arms. i use sun protection clothing but i can tell i seem to be reddening more now which i never used to do. i blame the pred.

  • Posted

    i have the same problem, skin is more wrinkled, hair and nails are thinning. Just bought NATURE's Bounty EXTRA strength Hair, Skin & Nails. Hope it works!

    • Posted

      hope it works for you too! i can take the thin skin--sorta--my doc says it wont come back post pred but id be so glad to be pmr free, i wont complain. the itching is annoying. always something!

  • Posted

    Husband has a widely spaced rash upper back and chest with vague itches which also affect arms and scalp (no rash there but he's been bald on top for years, just hair round the sides and a a really good beard) skin is not at all wrinkly or dry but we use hand made creams and lotions as I know quite a few makers.

    • Posted

      do you guys think its the pmr causing it? thinning of skin due to pred? seems like im not the only one with itchy skin which is what i wanted to know.

  • Posted

    morning twopies

    unfortunately i have the same problem with dry skin ...

    i use EMU OIL which is trans-dermal and gets well into the skin ...

    good luck dear

    di

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